Mind over matter: testing the efficacy of an online randomized controlled trial to reduce distraction from smartphone use

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Throuvala, M.A. ORCID: 0000-0003-4617-5263, Griffiths, M.D. ORCID: 0000-0001-8880-6524, Rennoldson, M. ORCID: 0000-0002-7131-8740 and Kuss, D.J. ORCID: 0000-0001-8917-782X, 2020. Mind over matter: testing the efficacy of an online randomized controlled trial to reduce distraction from smartphone use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (13): 4842. ISSN 1661-7827

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134842

Abstract

Evidence suggests a growing call for the prevention of excessive smartphone and social media use and the ensuing distraction that arises affecting academic achievement and productivity. A ten-day online randomized controlled trial with the use of smartphone apps, engaging participants in mindfulness exercises, self-monitoring and mood tracking, was implemented amongst UK university students (n = 143). Participants were asked to complete online pre-and post-intervention assessments. Results indicated high effect sizes in reduction of smartphone distraction and improvement scores on a number of self-reported secondary psychological outcomes. The intervention was not effective in reducing habitual behaviours, nomophobia, or time spent on social media. Mediation analyses demonstrated that: (i) emotional self-awareness but not mindful attention mediated the relationship between intervention effects and smartphone distraction, and (ii) online vigilance mediated the relationship between smartphone distraction and problematic social media use. The present study provides preliminary evidence of the efficacy of an intervention for decreased smartphone distraction and highlights psychological processes involved in this emergent phenomenon in the smartphone literature. Online interventions may serve as complementary strategies to reduce distraction levels and promote insight into online engagement. More research is required to elucidate the mechanisms of digital distraction and assess its implications in problematic use.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Creators:

Throuvala, M.A., Griffiths, M.D., Rennoldson, M. and Kuss, D.J.

Publisher:

MDPI

Date:

5 July 2020

Volume:

Number:

ISSN:

1661-7827

Identifiers:

Number	Type
10.3390/ijerph17134842	DOI
1341399	Other

Rights:

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Divisions:

Schools > School of Social Sciences

Record created by:

Jonathan Gallacher

Date Added:

06 Jul 2020 13:21

Last Modified:

31 May 2021 15:19

URI:

https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/40172